Improvement in instruments for paring horses  hoofs



NITED STATES ASHLEY CRAFTS AND EBENEZER VEE'KS, OF AUBURN, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT ININSTRUIVIENTS FOR PARING HORSES HOOFS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 6.983, dated January 1, 1350.

drawings of the same, making part of this specification.

Figure l is a plan of a spring grip-gage and adj ustive lever-knife for gripping the foot of the horse, directing the knife and gaging `the paring. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. Sis a side view of the knife. Fig. 4 is a section of the knife on the dotted line .c a: of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan or top view of a cast jointed grip-gage, adjustive segmentplates and concave paring-knife. Fig. 6 is a view of the same inverted, showing the pointed screws for securing the grip to the crust of the foot during the operation of paring.

Similar letters in the figures referto like parts of the apparatus.

Heretofore very little care and attention has been paid to a proper preparation of the foot of the horse for the reception of the shoe, although there is no part of the management of a horse that requires more attention than correct shoeing. No definite rules of shoeing are pursued. The blacksmith generally applies his draw-knife, shoulder-knife, and toc-knife to the delicate parts of the foot of the animal without much care, and frequently not knowing when and how to pare the crust, sole, bars,

and frog, having nothing to guide him but his judgment, `which is very often not sound on this subject, whereas to be an expert sheer of horses it requires not only a knowledge of the anatomy of the foot, but the use of a convenient and correct adj ustive guide and gage to apply to the foot to direct'the cutting-instrument, so as to pare the several parts correctly, according to the nature of the foot and l the kind of shoe to be used and the various uses to which the horse may be applied. To supply this deficiency of the forge, and to enble the blacksmith to prepare the feet of the horse for shoeing according to a rule, we have invented an implement, to be applied and adpare the crust, soles, and bars of the foot in the most exact manner without injury to the frog by simply moving a lever of the second order,"to which a suitable curved knife is afiixed, around on a center p ininserted into an arm of a clasp or grip that is made to elnbrace the foot securely, said center pin being opposite the center of the sole of the foot, and serving as the fulcrumof the knife.

This implement in its general outline resembles a pair of tongs,with the curved portions A A of the legs next the joint B made in the shape of a horseshoe, jointed at the toe, which curved portions are made to clasp the side of the foot,being armed with sharp points 'C to enter the crust to prevent slipping, thev straight portions A ofthe legs serving the purpose of handles, which the smith grasps in his left hand while using the knife Dwith the right hand, said knife being attached to an arm, E, by a set-screw, F, which serves as a fulcrum or joint pin, on which the knife moves or sweeps around in a circle, and as a set-screw to set the knife (which is made more or less concave) to suit the hollow of the sole of the foot to be pared, so as not to pare too deep, said arm being xed to one of the aforesaid legs A of the clasp. rlwo adjustive segmental plates, G, made in the form of a horseshoe, divided and jointed at the toe, are placed upon the above-described jointed clasp A, and attached to it by the joint-pin B, that connects the legs of the clasp, and two set-screws, H, for the purpose of adapting the implement to the' paring of feet of Various sizes and shapes.

The set-screw pass through segmental openings I in said adj ustive plates and are screwed into the legs A of the clasp, the segmental openings allowing the plates to move on the center pin, B, at the toe without binding, and the setscrews H conlining them to the clasp in any required position. The outer surfaces lof these adjustive plates are made flat and smooth, so that the knife (which they are de;- signed to guide) shall sweep round over them without having the cutting-edge injured by cutting into the metal. The heads of the screws H and joint-pin B are countersunk, so that the knife shall pass freely over them without coming in contact with the same.

VThe arm E must be cast in such a form and position as to cover the frog centrally when the legs of the clasp are closed around the crust of the foot, so as to arrest the sweep of the knife just before reaching the frog on either side of the said arm E.

The aforesaid jointed grip and adjustive gage-plates may be made Iof any suitable material and size. Cast-iron, however, will gencrally be preferred on account of being the cheapest.

In using this implement the smith first determines how much of the crust of the foot he will pare off and what hollow he will give the sole and the shape he intends the bars to have. He then adjusts the plates G and knife D accordingly, and secures the implement to the foot, in the manner already described, and sweeps the knife around in a circular direction, its shank or handle,being arrested against the arm E, covering the frog, and which protects it from injury. Should he find that the sole requires to be pared deeper, he turns the setscrew F, which will depress theknife'the required distance. The knife, having two cut ting-edges,will pare when moved either to the right or to the left. Figsl and 2 represent a modified form of imple1nent,in which the j oint `at the toe is omitted, the legs of the grip being made of a single piece of spring-steel and without adjustive plates and screw-points, the arm to which the knife is attached being made of steel in the forni of spring-dividers, and forming a part of the legs of the springgrip. The knife represented in Figs. l, 3, and 4. is made of the same form as' the one represented in Figs. 5 and 6, and is used in the same manner. The holding-points C, to prevent the grip from slipping, are formed on the inside of the grip instead of on the ends of the screws passing through the grip.

The shoe is to be made and secured to the foot in the usual manner.

Having thus described the :manner of constructing and using our combined grip and lever-knife for paring the feet of horses for shoeing, what we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the grip A, arm E, and knife D,whether made with or without the adjustive plates G and joint-pin B, or in any way substantially the saine, and of any suitable size and material. Y

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our naines before two subscribing witnesses.

ASHLEY CRAFTS. EBENEZER VEEKS. Witnesses:

LUN-D WAsHING'roN, WVM. l?. ELLIOT. 

